It is good to say, "Thank you" to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods. Every morning tell Him ,"Thank you for your kindness," and every evening rejoice in all His faithfulness. Psalm 92:1-2(LB)
We'd been praying for good, warm weather for a month leading up to Thanksgiving day 2008. God delivered. At 12pm, in Jones Park, East St. Louis, Illinois, 17 teenagers and 2 adults took in the sun. It was 57 degrees, but it felt like 80 to us. You see we have a tradition at New Yu. It involves faith, friends & football. Every Thanksgiving day we get together to play a game of flag football. Now you might think that because we're playing "flag football" we're not intense. WRONG!!!! These teenagers are competitive. They want to win and they're willing to play hard to achieve victory.
They'd been looking forward to this game since the end of last years game! You could feel the intensity. The New York Giants and New England Patriots would have enjoyed this atmosphere. We warmed up, prayed and got down to it! These guys and gals are fast. Plus I've lost a step. . . or two.
I noticed something different from last year. The intensity was there. They all wanted to win badly. But this year everyone played together as a team. They encouraged one another. Picked each other up off of the ground. They said things like "That's ok, you'll catch the next one." There were high fives and shouts of enthusiasm. There were smiles and giggles.
A far cry from last year. One year ago there were fights. People quit in the middle of the game. They cried. They yelled at one another. The weather was different too. It was cold and wet. Very frustrating to say the least.
This year: 57 degrees( but it felt like 80), teamwork, encouragement, high fives and shouts of enthusiasm. Look at what the Lord has done! Maturity isn't an event. It's a process. It takes time and effort. We have to be patient with our young people. I thank God that He's been patient with me. Lord please continue to be patient with me.
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